


Where Have You Gone, Charlie Brown?

by LoserEddie



Category: Peanuts
Genre: Gen, Linus is the genius but Schroeder's the mature one, Missing Persons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23178472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoserEddie/pseuds/LoserEddie
Summary: The Peanuts gang hasn't seen Charlie Brown since Wednesday afternoon, and the adults haven't told them anything about his whereabouts. So why can't they find him themselves?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

Linus didn’t know why Charlie Brown suddenly disappeared from school one day, but he knew not to question it. He didn’t question things like that. Being eight, he had no reason to. There were more important things to wonder about, after all; like why the sky changed colors as the day passed or how teachers were only skilled in one topic. For the most part, Lucy could answer all of those inquiries for him. However, this seemed to be rather different. Not a soul knew exactly where Charlie had ended up, not even his own parents. Whenever Linus asked them, they'd change the subject. Their hands would twitch, eyes darting around in all different directions. That happened to Linus whenever he lost his blanket. Maybe they needed to invest in one of their own? 

Well, if he knew Charlie, he’d be back within a day or two. He probably developed the flu or something. Whenever he felt like skipping school, he would fake one. Linus joined him once. As soon as their parents were off to work, they spent the entire day calling, up until five PM hit and the adults returned. Sure, sitting by himself on the swing-set was something he still hadn't grown accustomed to, but if he ever got too lonely, he could go visit Schroeder in the music room. On this particular day, he decided to do just that.

The recess teacher, of whom he couldn't quite place a name (must work upstairs in the middle school, he reckoned), allowed him to go inside as soon as he stated his purpose. Nearly all of the adults loved Schroeder. They considered him a well-behaved young man, destined for great things. It was always good to hang around him in order to escape educational punishment. Of course, now that Linus thought about it, perhaps he should have asked Schroeder to come to him. Traversing through the hallway on his own definitely had a chilling effect to it. Not one classroom had a teacher nor group of students. Even if his feet knew where to go, his head was turning in multiple directions. He soon stuck his thumb in his mouth, held on tighter to his blanket, and continued onward.

In no time, he had arrived. He gave the door a gentle knock, before standing on his tip-toes to push it open- gee, these adults really liked their doorknobs high. When he entered, he realized this wouldn't be as casual a conversation as he thought. Instead, he found Lucy perched on Schroeder’s piano, which he was playing with intense concentration. Sally, much to his surprise, sat nearby with none other than Snoopy. He had no time to question why the adults would allow a random dog inside the school building, as he was spotted by the pianist in a split second, if even. 

“Hiya Linus. We were just discussing Charlie Brown. Do you know anything about where he’s been?” Schroeder asked him. As soon as he had finished speaking, he looked back at down his piano. He hadn’t stopped playing once. It was a skill Linus was quite impressed by. Other than being an expert blanket wrangler, he didn't have any sort of talent quite like his. Perhaps he should get an idol. Is there a blanket equivalent to Beethoven?

“No, I haven’t seen him since Wednesday.” Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t even gotten a call from Charlie since they were walking home from school. Their parents said they were mature enough to walk on their own at the start of the school year, so they had plenty of fun on their daily trip. They even got to call for ten minutes every Wednesday and Sunday, if they behaved. “Last I saw of him, he was going over his uncle's house for a sleepover.” 

Sally stood up with her arms crossed. “Why didn’t my uncle invite me too? He said I’m his favorite!”

“He probably wanted to have some uncle-nephew bonding. Charlie Brown got to sit in the front and everything! Boy, was I jealous!”

“I wish my uncle let me do that!” Lucy sighed. She continued to stare down at Schroeder, only occasionally glancing up when the conversation piqued her interest. “Why should dumb old Charlie Brown get to sit up there while I'm stuck in the back with Linus and Rerun?!”

“All your complaining would distract the driver!” Even when Lucy scoffed at the comment, Linus continued to giggle. Sally couldn't help but join in, though she made sure to cover her mouth, narrowly avoiding Lucy's wrath. 

“That doesn’t tell us where he is, though,” Schroeder stated in order to push the derailing conversation back onto its normal path. That was enough to cease the topic at hand. "Does anyone have any leads?"

Silence washed over the room as they all nodded in almost perfect unison. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the music flowing from Schroeder’s toy piano. Finally, he rolled his eyes and piped up. 

“I say we go look for him. Your uncle doesn’t live very far, does he, Sally?” He suddenly ceased to play. This only meant one thing: he was focused. Linus was quite impressed by his dedication to this situation. Even if none of them could quite grasp what was going on, he knew that getting serious would help them figure out where their friend was much faster.

Sally shook her head. She pushed a chair over to the whiteboard, hopping up on top of it and grabbing a marker. Like that, she had sketched out a map of the neighborhood. She drew arrows over two houses in particular. “That’s our house,” she pointed to the left house, “and that’s my uncle’s house,” she motioned to the right house. "We could walk there after school, my parents won't mind!"

At that, Linus quirked an eyebrow. Charlie had taken him by that house many times - if he was reading the poorly-drawn map correctly, of course - and one thing he could still remember was the vehicle. The car in the driveway was white, the car that picked up Charlie was tan. That didn’t make much sense to him. Lucy told him once that whenever an adult changed the color of their car, it was because of the season changing (of seasons there were three, which confused him so greatly he didn't even think of questioning her further). It would be fall soon, but wasn't it a bit early, even for grown-ups that tended to rush everything?

"What kinda car does your uncle drive?" He asked. All eyes were now on him. Usually, he'd feel quite uncomfortable with all the attention, but he knew he couldn't take back the question now. It was too important, in his eyes, to dismiss.

"A whi-"

"Charlie Brown left in a tan car." While he hated to be impolite and interrupt, he already had all the information he needed. 

Sally hopped off the chair before tilting her head to the side. "We don't have any family with a vehicle like that, as far as I know!"

"Then who-"

That's when the bell rang. Students would be piling inside any moment for class. It felt as if the conversation had just begun, but was already coming to a close. Panicked expressions spread across the room. Yet, amongst the worry, Schroeder seemed the calmest. That was common for him; he never got as emotional as the rest of the group did. Stoic was the word that Lucy used to describe him, if Linus remembered correctly. She said it as she leaned on the kitchen counter to look out the window, only to see him kicking a ball around by himself in the empty street. That's what he preferred, Linus noted, solitude over a large group swarming him. He could respect Schroeder's need for privacy, sometimes he needed it himself.

"I say we head to the field instead. We're clearly talking about a different uncle than the one that lives nearby, and it'd make sense for Charlie Brown to practice some baseball by himself." Though it went unsaid, even Schroeder understood that Charlie wasn't the best when it came to playing. At least he kept the team's morale high, as well as he could with so many losses.

So then and there, it was decided: after school, they would meet up at the dismissal area, then walk to the field together. They all gave their goodbyes as they headed off to class. Schroeder was the only one not to leave; he had permission to practice a bit longer. Linus wasn't quite sure why, but something in his mind told him this was the start of a wonderful adventure. A quest, even! Why, he quite liked the sound of that. The quest to find his best pal, Charlie Brown!


	2. The Baseball Field

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Linus and the gang make a shocking discovery, and head to the field.

Everyone else was used to walking home from school, due to the fact most of them were near the same age, so it was only Sally that needed to call her parents to ask if she could bring Snoopy. Speaking of Snoopy, he was assigned as the lookout and the search dog. He definitely wasn’t the best option, but it’s not like they had any other dog lying around, other than Spike in the desert. So it was decided, he’d be helping on their journey. If a dog could gag, Snoopy surely would have. Instead, he turned away from the group with a huff as soon as his role was granted. 

The rest of the day went by smoothly. After that brief conversation, Linus couldn’t help but miss Charlie Brown far more than he had before. The only person he could sit with at lunch was Sally, which definitely wasn’t the ideal seating arrangement considering her slightly less matured conversational skills, though she did prove herself to be rather excellent company. They even discretely shared a few particularly hard answers during class. When school ended, they walked outside together. No words were exchanged: the two comprehended that they’d be talking quite a bit once they met up with the remaining group.

When they exited, Schroeder was already seated on a bench nearby. Snoopy had seemingly arrived as soon as the dismissal bell rang, as he had to leave earlier in order to avoid suspicion. It appeared that Lucy was running late, something Linus surely would not complain about. Instead, he sat beside Schroeder, leaving some room for both his sister and Sally. It would be tight, but he was nothing if not respectful.

“I made a map of the town during art class, to make sure we had an example,” Linus stated as he pulled the folded map from his jacket pocket. It took him a few seconds to uncrinkle it, yet as soon as he finished, he made sure to hold it out far enough so that they would all be able to see.

Schroeder nodded to himself as he examined it. He pointed towards the green rectangle labeled ‘FIELD’. “Like I said, he must be there, right? He's probably working on his pitch with his uncle.”

"For two days straight?”

“He's... Linus, what does embarrassed mean?”

"Embarrassed: feeling or showing embarrassment. It basically means he's self-conscious, ashamed, or awkward."

"Exactly! The definition of Charlie Brown. He's embarrassed of how he plays, so he's taking some days off to practice. Adults do it all the time."

“Then why wouldn’t he tell us?” While Linus was satisfied with the answer, Sally was not. Her hands were placed firmly on her hips. “He always calls before he sleeps away from home.” Lucy called him a coward when he first brought it up, Linus could remember that discussion very well. 

That’s something that hadn’t even crossed Schroeder’s mind. He nodded again. Slow, at first, then enthusiastically. He patted Sally’s shoulder firmly. “That’s it! That’s it! Maybe he couldn’t get to a phone- do you think he got stuck in the woods again?” He asked.

Now, both children and Snoopy were turned to face Linus. His eyebrows furrowed as thoughts raced through his mind. Suddenly, he shot up. “ What if.. his uncle brought him to go play baseball, and he ended up lost! Wasn’t it particularly misty Wednesday night?!”

“Linus, I think you're onto something!”

“He must have lost his way around the field! It is large, isn't it? That happened to Rerun once, but it only took us an hour to find him… we have to inform Lucy!”

As if right on cue, Lucy was the last of the students to race out of the school, waving her arms towards them. It didn’t take long before she was caught up on the conversation, and they were all rushing down the sidewalk at lightning speed. Snoopy charged ahead of the group, with Schroder right on his tail. Linus was right behind him beside Lucy. Sally, while still close, did struggle slightly when it came to keeping up. She was the smallest, after all. Thankfully, the field wasn’t very far from the school. Not to mention, they knew a shortcut due to traveling there so many times for baseball games. 

Fog still remained from the nights before. They were all set on the idea that this was the spot Charlie would go to if granted the opportunity. This left them to scour for any hint of the missing boy. For a while, the idea of splitting up to search more efficiently came to mind. Linus, however, was quick to remind them that trouble only followed whenever characters separated in the books the teacher read in class. So they stuck close by one another. Snoopy was sniffing the ground as well as a dog with no professional practice could. Luck was on their side in a way, considering he was a Beagle, a breed widely recognized for being scent hounds. It was their mistake to not give them anything to base his tracking off of. 

That’s when one thing comes into play: Snoopy is no normal pooch. Known for his dramatics and roof-sitting habits, he in no way could be grouped in with other pets. So when his head abruptly perked up, and he started barreling forward, they were overly grateful for his strangeness. The children followed him with increasing speed by the second. They only seemed to be going farther and farther into the fog. It could be hours or minutes of them running, it was impossible to tell.

Even as Linus squinted his eyes, he couldn’t quite make out anything too far in front of him. Only the dry grass beneath his brown shoes and the other kids charging onward. He had barely realized he was lagging behind. When they skidded to an unexpected halt, he stumbled straight into them, falling back with a yelp. Nobody turned to face him in concern. Instead, their eyes were glued forward. He pulled himself to his feet, only mumbling a small "thanks a lot" to let out his annoyance, and went to stand beside Schroeder. Now he could clearly see why their attention had been so easily stolen. Before them was a large sign labeled “NOW ENTERING PINETREE CORNERS”, and beyond that, a quiet town, not so different from theirs. Was this where Charlie Brown ended up..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of loose ends on purpose, don't worry. The main reason is because, hey, they're all kids, but it's also to help with the plot.


	3. Pinetree Corners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids take a look around Pinetree Corners. Along the way, they meet a particularly odd man...

Linus had only ever seen this town once before, though it was merely at a glance as he dragged his little brother Rerun back home on the day he ran off. He couldn’t help but step forward as he took in the environment. Nobody was walking down the sidewalk. Smoke didn’t pour from even factory chimneys. There was simply silence. Silence you could cut through with a knife. His hand reached to grasp onto his blanket, which still hung on its usual place over his shoulder, and he plunged his thumb back into his mouth, sucking on it instinctively. The others only stood with raised eyebrows. 

“This does seem like a Charlie Brown town. He’d like the peace.. if you could even consider it that” Schroeder finally said. He took one last glance behind them before straightening the collar of his striped shirt. “Let’s start looking around. I bet we could stop by a shop and ask the owner if they’ve seen him around. Does anyone have any money?”

“I got a nickel from the Tooth Fairy.”

“If we head back home, I could get twenty cents out of my piggy bank!”

“I have some bubblegum, we could trade.”

“Woof!”

Everyone turned to look down at Snoopy. On the ground in front of him was a two-dollar bill. This wasn't the first time it had happened. By then, they expected this sort of behavior from Snoopy. He was like a backpack, he always had an item to offer in times of need. Eventually, Schroeder picked it the money, giving him a pat on the head. “Thanks, Snoopy. We’ll get you something too.” 

Snoopy was quite pleased with that trade. After all, he had no use for money, he'd much rather have a bottle of root beer or pizza with sausage.

“Well, how are we gonna split that among the five of us?” Lucy asked. She held her palm out. “I should get the most. I’m the prettiest.”

“We all get four cents!”

“That’s not enough to buy a chocolate bar!”

“We’ll figure it out when we get there! Do you wanna find Charlie Brown or not?”

Before she got the chance to answer, an answer they all already knew, they were running yet again. Wow, they really were swift on their feet! However, this time, they had to maneuver past buildings and street lamps. There was no reason to look both ways to cross the street, as no vehicles passed, or even appeared to be in town, for that matter. At least, they hadn’t seen any since they arrived. They had found a general store in no time. Linus held the door open for them all to enter. While the gang was quick to look around for something to buy, he wandered up to the counter.

Standing behind the counter was a man with an untrimmed mustache, bushy eyebrows, and a permanent scowl. This did nothing to ease Linus’s worries towards the already tense aura the town provided. But he knew he had to ask anyone he could find about where his friend could be. So, he wrapped his fingers around his blanket once more as he began to speak. 

“Have you happened to see a Charlie Brown around here?” He asked, his voice struggling not to quiver. He had to stand on his tip-toes to keep at least his head visible over the surface. “He’s slightly taller than I am. A supposed relative picked him up in a tan car Wednesday afternoon. We're guessing it drove by here?”

The man only shifted for a moment, though his expression remained unchanged. After an uncomfortable silence, he said, “Haven’t seen any kid like that. Only one person in this town drives a tan car, and I know that guy doesn't know a 'Charlie Brown' either.”

“And who may that be?”

“Me.”

“So you must be Charlie Brown’s uncle!”

More shifting. Linus tilted his head at that. If he weren't terrified of the consequences that would follow if he interrupted him, he would have inquired about the movement by now. “I don’t have a nephew. I don’t even have siblings. Now, are you gonna buy something or not?” 

He knew not to take things any further than that. When he turned around, the group was already standing behind him, items in hand. Even Snoopy was dragging a bag with the things he wanted to purchase inside. Once it was all set on the counter, Schroeder passed over the money. The total came to $2.09. Unfortunately, they had to drop the purchase of juice. Everyone ended up pleased, however, as Schroeder was willing to share his soda with Lucy. They were quick to leave the store after that. 

With the encounter still fresh in his mind, Linus couldn’t help but mention the man’s strange behavior as they walked down the street. The way he shifted whenever Charlie’s name was said, and the fact he was the only person in town with a tan car. He had an awful feeling about this man. It wasn’t quite something he could describe. All he knew was that he wouldn’t like to be around him again. Not unless he was forced to, of course. 

“Linus, you have to go in there and interrogate that man further.” If Linus understood the word ‘irony’ was not related to iron itself, he surely would be using it right now. Schroeder gave him a firm pat on the back and a reassuring smile. Quite frankly, he couldn’t remember the last time he saw Schroeder emote in general, let alone grin. It was definitely a sight to see. So much so, it was nearly convincing enough to have Linus follow through with the plan. That didn't go very well with Lucy. 

"Like he'd be any good at it! He'd start crying! I should be the one to do it- shouldn't I, Sally?" Sally nodded firmly. Those girls always defended each other. They got on much better than say, Lucy and Violet or Sally and Eudora. "See?! Sally agrees, and this is about her big brother, isn't it?"

"You'd be too mean to him!"

"And Linus would be too nice!"

"I still don't think it's a very good idea-"

"Don't you want some brute force rather than some pathetic little loser?!" She punched the palm of her hand. With her being so wrapped up in her rage, she didn't notice Linus pretending to shoot her, mumbling random gunshot noises under his breath. 

It wasn't worth fighting, was it? When Lucy Van Pelt had her mind set on something, she wouldn't give it up for anything. With a regretful sigh, Schroeder allowed her to go interrogate the man, as long as she promised not to hit him or call him a blockhead. Even Linus knew that wouldn't last very long. As he watched her enter the store with her eyebrows furrowed and her fingers curled into fists, he couldn't help but think to himself: Would this lead them to Charlie Brown?


End file.
